sabunim5
New member
I have been monitoring or participating in this forum almost since it's beginning. I do not remember anybody posting about replacing front end components. When I did my 12k mile service, I discovered play in a ball joint and in a control arm bushing. Both of those were replaced. One was replaced under warranty and the other one was replaced on my dime, as I was too lazy to fight the warranty battle. I have just finished my 18k mile service interval and find that I have play in, and thus need to replace, all four ball joints and two control arm bushings. I have no idea if this is normal or unusual so I am soliciting input from those of you that have enough miles to give me some insight.
About half of my miles are one-up, about a quarter are two-up and about a quarter of my miles are two-up and pulling a trailer. I am getting good service life front my front tires and they are exhibiting a very even wear pattern.
I do have some theories about the situation so I'll tell you them, and you tell me if I am right or wrong.
1. Our front suspensions are essentially automotive in nature and the motorcycle mechanics that are checking our front ends, do not have experience in that area. So there may be lots of Spyders out there that actually need front end components, but it has not been diagnosed due to the techs lack of experience.
2. Even if you know how to properly check out the front end components; it is time consuming and almost requires two people to be done properly. I know of a shop that checks the rear bearings by jacking up the Spyder and rotating the wheel. IMHO this is a nice first step, but I check them by then removing the rear wheel and checking each bearing individually. You get the idea; a shop can only spend so much time on each task and still make a profit. The balance between thorough and expedient is probably slightly different at each shop. Many of us may have front end components that need replaced, but have not been subject to rigorous inspection.
3. Replacing a front end component may not be something people tend to post about. For example, how many of us post about replacing our plugs or our rear bearings. Of course plugs and rear bearings are specified as replacement items by BRP and the front end components are not.
Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks in advance to all that respond to this inquiry. :clap: Lets all learn something about our Spyders together.
opcorn:
Ryde Safe and Enjoy :thumbup:
About half of my miles are one-up, about a quarter are two-up and about a quarter of my miles are two-up and pulling a trailer. I am getting good service life front my front tires and they are exhibiting a very even wear pattern.
I do have some theories about the situation so I'll tell you them, and you tell me if I am right or wrong.
1. Our front suspensions are essentially automotive in nature and the motorcycle mechanics that are checking our front ends, do not have experience in that area. So there may be lots of Spyders out there that actually need front end components, but it has not been diagnosed due to the techs lack of experience.
2. Even if you know how to properly check out the front end components; it is time consuming and almost requires two people to be done properly. I know of a shop that checks the rear bearings by jacking up the Spyder and rotating the wheel. IMHO this is a nice first step, but I check them by then removing the rear wheel and checking each bearing individually. You get the idea; a shop can only spend so much time on each task and still make a profit. The balance between thorough and expedient is probably slightly different at each shop. Many of us may have front end components that need replaced, but have not been subject to rigorous inspection.
3. Replacing a front end component may not be something people tend to post about. For example, how many of us post about replacing our plugs or our rear bearings. Of course plugs and rear bearings are specified as replacement items by BRP and the front end components are not.
Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks in advance to all that respond to this inquiry. :clap: Lets all learn something about our Spyders together.
opcorn:Ryde Safe and Enjoy :thumbup:
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So I guess my point here is that I have confidence in my tech that he does know the front end components of these machines and how to inspect them etc. And so far they are holding up very well. However, my bike is new compared to yours so I am not sure it's a fair comparison. But I am keeping my eye on things to be sure and check things almost every time I climb aboard; a sudden failure of a critical component could be big trouble! :shocked:
